• The Great Indian Bustard (GIB) is one of the heaviest flying birds. It is an omnivorous flagship grassland species and is the state bird of Rajasthan.
• Distribution: It is native to the Indian subcontinent (a few pockets in India and Pakistan). In India, it is mainly confined to Rajasthan and Gujarat. A small population also occurs in Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh. Its largest population (95%) is found in Rajasthan (Jaisalmer).
• Habitat: Dry grassland and steppe region.
• Threats: Habitat loss (mainly due to agricultural expansion), hunting, and mortality due to collisions with power lines and windmills (they have poor frontal vision).
• IUCN: CR | CITES: Appx I | CMS: Appx I | WPA: Sch I

• Himalayan musk deer (or White-bellied musk deer) is a musk deer species occurring in the Himalayas.
• The Musk deer family differs from true deer (cervids) in that it lacks antlers.
• Male musk deer secretes a scented substance called musk, which is used in the perfume industry.
• Distribution: Himalayas of Bhutan, India, Nepal, and China.
• Habitat: High alpine environments.
• Threats: Hunting (for musk) and habitat loss.
• IUCN: EN | CITES: Appx I | WPA: Sch I

• Red panda (or Lesser panda) is an arboreal mammal native to the eastern Himalayas and SW China.
• It is an indicator species and an umbrella species for the Himalayan Ecosystem. It is not related to the giant panda.
• Though red panda is carnivorous, it rarely eats meat, and bamboo constitutes its main diet.
• It is both nocturnal and crepuscular (active during twilight and dawn).
• Distribution: Bhutan, India, Nepal, Myanmar and China. In India, it occurs in the states of Sikkim, WB, Arunachal Pradesh, and Meghalaya. It is the state animal of Sikkim.
• Habitat: Temperate montane forests with dense bamboo-thicket understorey. ‘
• Threats: Inbreeding depression.
• IUCN: EN | CITES: Appx I

• The Asiatic wild ass (Equus hemionus) is found throughout Central Asia ranging from Mongolia and China to Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran, India and Israel.
• The only large population is found in Mongolia and the other populations are fragmented and relatively small.
• IUCN: NT

• The chital or cheetal (Axis axis), also known as the spotted deer, chital deer, and axis deer, is an attractive deer species native to the Indian subcontinent.
• They are a moderate-sized deer ranging from golden to rufous in colour.
• Physical description: They are strongly sexually dimorphic: males are much larger than females and grow large, lyre-shaped antlers.
• Distribution: The chital ranges over 8–30°N in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
• Conservation Status: IUCN: Least Concern

• Nilgai (or blue bull) is the largest antelope in Asia.
• Distribution: Found in India, Nepal, and Pakistan. Indravati NP (Chhattisgarh), Pench TR (MP), Ranthambhore and Keoladeo NPs of Rajasthan are famous for it.
• Habitat: Arid areas, grassy plains, dry deciduous forests and farmlands. Avoids dense forests and deserts.
• IUCN: LC

• Snow leopard (or Ghost of the Mountains) is a keystone and indicator species of high-altitude habitat. It is a flagship species for the high-altitude Himalayan ecosystem.
• Distribution: Native to mountains of Central and South Asia. It occurs in the Himalayan region.
• Habitat: Alpine and subalpine zones.
• Threats: Habitat loss, poaching, climate change, tourism, and competition with livestock.
• IUCN: VU

  

• Barasingha (Swamp deer) is native to the Indian subcontinent. It is the state animal of MP and UP.
• Distribution: Isolated localities in north and central India and Nepal. Kanha TR (MP) is famous for it.
• Habitat: Open forests, tall grasslands and mangroves.
• IUCN: VU

• Rhesus monkey has the widest geographic range of all non-human primates. It is diurnal, omnivorous, and alternatively arboreal and terrestrial.
• Distribution: South, Central, and SE Asia.
• Habitat: A variety of habitats, including human habitations.
• IUCN: LC | CITES: Appx II

• Sarus crane, a large nonmigratory crane, is the tallest flying bird in the world (4ft average height).
• Distribution: Indian subcontinent, SE Asia, and Australia. In India, it is seen in the Himalayan foothills, Northwest India (except the Thar desert), and Central India.
• Habitat: Open wet and dry grasslands and agricultural fields.
• IUCN: VU

• Lion-tailed macaque is an Old World monkey endemic to the Western Ghats. Unlike other macaques, this arboreal species avoids humans.
• Distribution: Karnataka, Kerala, and TN.
• Habitat: Prefers tropical evergreen rainforests but is also found in monsoon forests.
• Threats: Habitat loss, hunting, and wood harvesting.
• IUCN: EN

• Hanuman langur (Gray langur) is distributed throughout India except NE India, while Rhesus macaque occurs in all habitats of India north of Godavari.
• In southern Indian states (south of Godavari), it is replaced by Bonnet macaque.
• IUCN: LC

• Kashmir stag (or Hangul) is the only Asiatic sub-species of the Elk (the largest subspecies of Red deer, found in high mountains of Central Asia).
• It is the state animal of J&K.
• Distribution: It is endemic to Kashmir and is now restricted to Dachigam NP. Earlier, it was widely distributed in the mountains of Kashmir and Chamba district of HP.
• Habitat: Mountainous areas, where it spends summers in alpine meadows and winters in valleys.
• Threats: Over-grazing by domestic livestock and poaching.
• IUCN: CR

Additional Information

• The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, founded in 1964, is the world’s most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. When discussing the IUCN Red List, the official term “threatened” is a grouping of three categories: Critically Endangered, Endangered, and Vulnerable. The pink pages in this publication include the critically endangered species. Green pages are used for those species that were formerly endangered but have now recovered to a point where they are no longer threatened. With time, the number of pink pages continue to increase.